Peach giveaway spirals downhill as pickers descend

Published: August 16, 2012 7:56 PM

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) -- Owners of a western Colorado orchard say they've soured on the idea of peach giveaways after a slew of pickers descended on their property and wreaked havoc.

The Daily Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/NqHVDC ) orchard owners Don and Marilyn Schanaman couldn't sell their first peach crop because the fruit was too small, so they offered it for free to those willing to pick it.

The peaches were gone within days, but people kept coming, even though the Schanamans posted signs saying the orchard was closed and trespassing was prohibited.

The couple says people still knocked on their door, one person threw rocks, and others drove into the orchard, hitting a tree and breaking pipes. Some helped themselves to apples that hadn't been offered, while others took from a neighbor's orchard too.

Marilyn Schanaman says she and her husband won't be giving away peaches again.